Transversely slotted metal belt for conveying and guiding strip traveling at high speed



E. T. I oRlG 2,646,161

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Juy 21, 1953 TRANSVERSELY SLOTTED METAL BELT FOR CONVEYING AND GUIDING STRIP TRAVELING AT HIGH SPEED Filed sept. 29, 195o July 21, 1953 E. T. LoRlG A TRANSVERSELY SLOTTED METAL BELT FOR CONVEYING AND GUIDING STRIP TRAVELING AT HIGH SPEED Filed Sept. 29. 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 2l, 1953 TRANSVERSELY SLOTTED METAL BELT FOR CONVEYING AND GUIDING STRIP TRAV- ELIN G AT HIGH SPEED .r

Edwin T. Lorig, Ross Township, Allegheny County, Pa., assignor to United States Steel Corporation, a corporation ofNew Jersey Application September 29, 1950, Serial No. 187,542

This invention relates to a metal conveying and guiding belt adapted to be driven at high speed, e. g., 4,000 or 5,000 F. P. M. Y

It has been proposed to hot-roll steel strip to gauges as low as .025 or even .018 This necessitates' a very high speed of delivery from the last stand of a continuous mill if the speed of the strip in the earlier stands is maintained at the values now customary. Such delivery speeds introduce serious complications into the problem of coiling the nished strip. 4Ordinary coilers are not suitable for such speeds, particularly when light gauges are to be handled. It appears likely that it will be necessary to guide the leading and Atrailing ends of the lengths of strip onto the coiler by confinement in a chute composed of spaced conveying belts traveling at substantially the same speed as the strip, and using a bel-t wrapper for starting the leading end on the coiler mandrel. The object of my invention is to provide a belt suitable for such use.

The aforementioned application obviously involves severe service conditions and rough usage. In the iirst place, the speeds necessary require repeated flexing of the belt at high frequency if the size of the drums on pulleys over which it travels is to be kept within reasonable limits. The belt must also be capable of withstanding the temperature at which the hot-rolled strip is finished or a somewhat lower temperature if artificial cooling of the strip is practiced. The

Vbelt must also be little aiected either physically f at high speed but useful also in other applications. In a preferred embodiment a metal band of suitable composition, width and gauge has its ends welded together forming an `endless loop. The band has transverseslots closely spaced therealong, at least some of which extend inwardly from opposite edges, with adjacent slots overlapping for a substantial portion of their length. The ends of the slots spaced from the belt edges are shaped to a smooth curve. The belt may be single ply or composed of several plies welded together at spaced points. ably shaped longitudinally to a curvature of the The belt is prefer- 6` claims. (c1. 19e-193) 2 same order as that of the pulleys on which it is to be used.

. A complete understanding of the invention may beobtained from the following detailed description and explanation which refer to the accompanying drawings illustrating the present preferred embodiment. In the drawings,Y

Figure 1 is a partial plan view of one form of my improved belt which may be single ply or multiple ply;

Figure 2 is a partial longitudinal section through a two-ply belt of the type shown in Figure l;

Figure 3 is a partial transverse section through a two-ply belt showing one form of weld joining the plies; Y

Figure 4 is a partial plan and Figure 5 a partial transverse section showing another type of weld between plies;

Figure 6 is a transverse section of an edgewelded two-ply belt;

Figure 'l is a similar vieW'of a four-ply belt formed by accordion-pleating a single metal band;

Figures 8 and 9 are views similar to Figure 1 showing multiple-width belts;

Figure 10 is a transverse section through the belt of Figure 9;

Figures 11, 12 and 13 are views similar to Figures 1, 8 and 9 showing a belt having a slightly different form of slots; and

Figurev 14 is a diagrammatic View illustrating conveying belts forming a chute to guide the end of a length of strip onto a coiler.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, and for the present to Figure lll, the last stand of a continuous hot-rolling mill is indicated at l0. A strip Il issuing from the mill is delivered into a chute composed of a pair of spaced converging endless belts I 2. The belts are trained overV driven drums or pulleys i3, idler pulleys i4 and tightener pulleys l5. The belts l2, of course, guidegandconvey the strip Il along a path therebetween. A pair of similar guiding belts i6 are trained around pulleys I3 or other pulleys coaxial therewith and idler pulleys Il. The belts I6 constitute a continuance of the guide chute for the strip I l and deliver the leading end thereof to a coiler of any Suitable design and construction (not shown). The coiler may include a beltv wrapper similar in character and construction tothe belts l2 and I6. This belt construction Ywill now be described in detail.

One form of the belt, illustrated in Figurel, comprises anendless metal band I 8, preferably of steel, having transverse slots I9 spaced therealong extending inwardly from each edge and terminating short of the opposite edge, forming spaced sections like leaf springs. The band I8 may be formed by welding together the ends of a length of strip of suitable gauge andlcomposition as at 20. The inner ends of the slots I9 are rounded. In the embodiment shown in Figure 1, alternate slots extend inwardly from opposite edges of the strip and adjacent slots overlap each other for the greater portion of their length. Longitudinally, the belt is shaped to a curvature of the same order as that of the pulleys with which it is to be used. This is done before formation of the slots I9.

The belt shown in Figure 1 may be single ply or composed of twoor more thicknesses of strip superposed one on the other and secured together as shown in Figure 2. In the case of the multiple ply belt composed, for example, of bands I8 and I8', the welds 2d are staggered longitudinally. The plies are spaced apart as shown in Figure 2 throughout the greater portion of their area. The bands may be conveniently secured together by spot welding them at intervals with f welds have been formed between each pair of abutting projections.

Figure 6 illustrates a further modification in which the plies I8 and I8 are joined by edge welds 23, the space between the bands being occupied by a nller 2d such as sheet asbestos, carbon or other heat-resisting material which will disintegrate after a predetermined period of use. The welds 23 may be arc welds with metal deposition or they may be continuous electric seam welds.

In making a multiple-ply belt such as those described above, it is found preferable to weld the several bands or plies together before forming the slots I9. By forming these slots simultaneously in all the plies, the proper alinernent of the slots of the several plies is maintained.

Figure '7 illustrates a further modification in which a belt 25 is made by bending a strip of sufficient width to form accordion pleats, thereby affording superposed plies 26 which are welded together at the edges as indicated at 2l. After welding of the edges, the belt is slotted trans-` versely as in the 'case of the belt of Figure 1 or any of the modifications subsequently described. The thickness of the belt has been exaggerated somewhat in Figure 7 in order to show the principle more clearly.

Figure 8 shows a belt 28 generally similar to the belt I8 except that it is wider and it has a pair of alined slots 29 extending inwardly and terminating short of the center line. In addition, slots 3l) are formed between adjacent pairs of slots 29. The slots 30 extend from a point spaced inwardly from one edge to a point spaced inwardly of the other. This arrangement of slots is useful where a belt of greater width than that shown in Figure 1 is desired. The belt 28 may be of single-ply or multiple-ply construction.

Figures 9 and l0 show a further modified form of belt 3I adapted for even greater widths than belt 28. The belt 3I has slots I9 extending inwardly from opposite edges and additional slots 32 in alinement therewith extending from a point adjacent the inner end of the slot IS to a space extending inwardly from the opposite edge of the belt. The belt 3l may be of single-ply or multiple-ply construction. The illustrated example is of the latter type as shown in Figure 19. The plies Sla are separated by spacer strips 33 and are joined by spot welds 34. After welding, the strips are cut through at the slots.

vFigure 11 illustrates a further modification, somewhat similar to that of Figure 1. The belt 35 of Figure 11 has elliptical slots 3E. The edges of the belt between the adjacent slots are rounded as at 3l. If the belt is of multi-ply construction the Vseveral plies are separated by spacer discs 38 and join-ed by spot welds 39.

Figures 12 and 13 show modifications having slots like those of Figure 11 adapted for double andtriple width belts respectively, similar to those shown in Figures 8 and 9. The belts in Figures 11 through 13 have the lowest weight for a given value of required strength. The slots are preferably punched before the bands forming the multiple-ply belts are welded together.

The belt of my invention, in any of the forms disclosed, is characterized by numerous advantages which make it particularly adaptable for application as a conveying and guiding belt operating at high speed. In the nrst place, the belt has great flexibility so it may be subjected to bending at a high frequency without sacricing minimum longitudinal resilience which is necessary to counteract the substantial centrifugal force involved in traveling about the pulleys at high speed. The belt consists essentially of one or more layers of sections like leaf springs with the ends welded.A Each section may thus be subjected to maximum bending deflection with minimum stress in passing over the pulleys.`

The multiple-ply construction vaffords greater belt strength without reducing the flexibility needed for use on small pulleys. The separation of the plies minimizes frictional contact therebetween and the resulting wear. The curvature applied to the belt longitudinally permits good contact with the pulley surface without requiring special preparation to assure smoother running at high speed. The slots extending transversely of the multiple-ply belt minimize or eliminate shearing stress on the longitudinal welds when the belt is subjected to tension. The welds thus serve only to hold the several plies together and prevent excessive exure of the ends of the spring leaves between slots. The welds also impart the necessary stiffness to the belt edges to sustain the shock resulting from contact of the leading or trailing end of a length of strip with the belt.

Although I have disclosed herein the preferred embodiment 0f my invention, I intend to cover as well any change or modification therein which may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

l. A conveying and guiding belt com; plurality of superposed endless flat met each band having transverse slots extenrl wardly from each edge thereof and ter short of the other edge, isolated spa-cer n between adjacent bands of less area than tue latter causing them to stand apart throughout the greater portion of their area and spot welds spaced longitudinally and transversely oi said 'bands uniting them into a unitary belt.

ized by said spacer means being isolated portions of the bands displaced from the general plane thereof. v

4. The apparatus defined by claim 1 characterized by said spacer means being strips extending longitudinally of the belt and spaced transversely thereof.

k5. The apparatus dened by claim 1 characterized by said spacer means being discs located at said welds.

6. The apparatus defined by claim 1 characterized bythe slots in the bands being substantially in registry.

EDWIN T. LORIG.

References Cited in the le of this patent FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 5,3'54 Great Britain July 29, 1893 of 1893 v 330,045 Germany Jan. 18, 1918 663,567 Germany Aug. 9, 1938 

